NEW! Version 3 of iPi Motion Capture is available.
iPi Motion Capture 3 delivers new features for improved workflow including support of Kinect 2, improved arms tracking, simplified calibration and others. Read more >>

This documentation corresponds to version 2 of iPi Motion Capture. The latest documentation for version 3 can be found at http://docs.ipisoft.com/

Q: I'm a student now and I'm going to purchase iPi products with educational discount. Can I use the product for commercial project and / or after my graduation?

A: No, sorry. The educational license is limited to use in an educational context, either for self-education or use in an educational institution for teaching purposes. It cannot be used for commercial, professional or for-profit purposes.

Q: I have promotion coupon code. How can I use it?

A: Please put the promotion code into "Your coupon code" field at the bottom of on-line order from, and push "Update" button to make sure the price was changed.

Q: I want to pay in a currency other than USD. But I found that the currency conversion rate is much higher than what I expected to have. Why is that?

A: We use Share-It international payments gateway to sell our software. If you want to pay in currency other than product price currency (USD) they add about 10% to the cost as their insurance from currency rates fluctuations. Proper way to avoid this overhead expense — please make order in USD (you can select order currency at the top of the order form). If you pay by card or PayPal, internal rates of payment system will be applied. They are usually very close to real exchange rates.

A: You can use two depth sensors (Kinect/Xtion/Carmine) with iPi Motion Capture (supported in Basic and Standard editions). Three depth sensors is supported in version 2 in experimental mode. Using more depth sensors is currently not feasible due to sensors mutual interference.

Q: Can I use Kinect 2.0 iPi Motion Capture?

A: Kinect 2 for Xbox is not possible to use, as it does not have any connector for PC (only proprietary connector for Xbox One). We will include support of Kinect 2 for Windows as soon as it is released (expected in summer 2014).

Q: Can I mix Kinect with other cameras in multi-camera set-up?

A: You can mix Microsoft Kinect, ASUS Xtion (Live), and PrimeSense Carmine depth sensors. But you cannot mix depth sensors with color cameras. However, for better results, it is strongly recommended to use devices of the same model in multi-camera configuration.

Q: Can I use USB cameras of different models in multi-camera set-up?

A: Not recommended. For best results all cameras should be the same model. Moreover, we strongly recommend to use Sony PS Eye camera, as it has much better quality for markerless mocap.

Q: Can I use high-resolution cameras to improve tracking quality?

A: No. For our software higher resolution does not give much benefit, but highly increases required data bandwidth. As this is markerless technology, we do not need to track small markers, and 640 x 480 resolution will work as good as HD. For motion capture fps (frames per second) is much more critical parameter for tracking accuracy. Sony PS Eye camera, that allows to record at 60 fps with low distortions, is currently most recommended model.

Q: Can I install the system on several computers with one license key?

A: No. According to our licensing policy, one license key is strictly for use on a single computer. But you can transfer your license key from one computer to another.

Q: I'm a student now and I'm going to purchase iPi products with educational discount. Can I use the product for commercial project and / or after my graduation?

A: No, sorry. The educational license is limited to use in an educational context, either for self-education or use in an educational institution for teaching purposes. It cannot be used for commercial, professional or for-profit purposes.

Q: Can I give my license key to a friend or collegue?

A: Please do not do that. This is a violation of the licensing terms. Your license key can be banned if you abuse license terms.

Q: Do I need to pay for new versions of software?

A: Purchased license includes at least one year of free updates within the same major version (e.g. 2.x). Next major version is given for free to customers who made their purchase within 3 months before release. Others will be given 50% discount within 6 months after next version release.

Q: Do I need to pay for Biomech Add-on?

A: Yes, Biomech Add-on requires separate license key. You can order it or run 30-days free trial.

(optional) extra HDD for video recording (so that you do not record on your system drive), the cost may be around $50

Q: Is there a version for Mac?

A: To run this software on a Mac you need to install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp or similar solution.

Kinect Support (All Editions)

Q:What drivers for Kinect are used in iPi Motion Capture?

A: On Windows XP and Vista we use a lightweight solution based on the driver from PrimeSense (psdrv3.sys) to communicate with device via USB. Protocol implementation is our own. On Windows 7 and later we can use either the same solution or Microsoft KinectSDK driver (which is recommended).

Q:Is this driver compatible with OpenNI and Brekel plugin?

A: Yes. If you have already installed PrimeSense's OpenNI drivers for Kinect then there is no need to install drivers again thus you can choose not to install any Kinect drivers during iPi Recorder Installation.

A: No. For our software higher resolution does not give much benefit, bit gighly increases required data bandwidth. As this is markerless technology, we do not need to track small markers, and 640 x 480 resolution will work as good as HD. For motion capture fps (frames per second) is much more critical parameter for tracking accuracy. Sony PS Eye camera, that allows to record at 60 fps with low distortions, is currently most recommended model.

How-to

Q: How do I change scene orientation? For example, what if I want my 3D character to stand in the coordinate system origin (0, 0, 0) and face Z-axis direction?

A: Click the "Recenter Coordinate System on Character" button on "Scene" tab, or check the "Recenter coordinate system on character in first frame" option on "Export" tab.